Martial Vitality

  I enjoy listening to the Shintaro Higashi podcast, and a recent episode addressed dojo etiquette . Shintaro said that he had heard that it is a breach of etiquette for lower ranking BJJ players to ask higher ranking BJJ players to roll. In other words, it would be odd for a white belt to ask a blue belt to roll. I have a limited view on the subject, having only started training in January 2017, and having only trained at one school. I have attended seminars and camps outside my own school, but those settings are a bit different. I am also only a blue belt, so I do not have much experience being a "senior belt." For what it's worth, at my home school, One Spirit Martial Arts , I have not encountered this situation. As a white belt, or as a blue belt, I did not feel any concern asking to roll with a higher belt. I do not feel weird when a white belt asks to roll with me. I believe this is a cultural norm set by professor Sauer and the head instructors at the academy. I...

Four years ago on January 30, 2017, I took my first jiu-jitsu lesson at One Spirit Martial Arts in Herndon, VA. It was a Gracie Combatives lesson. Someone took photos for the school's social media pages, and I ended up barely appearing in the back row of one of the photos.  In March it will be one year since I stopped training due to Covid-19 . Since then I have been trying to keep mentally and physically engaged with jiu-jitsu, despite not attending classes at the academy. For example, beginning on January 1, I started my "90 Days with Danaher" program. Every day I watch a John Danaher instructional. I started with the first two volumes of Feet to Floor, then continued with Go Further Faster 1 Pin and Turtle Escapes. I am now in the second volume, Go Further Faster 2 Guard Retention. I take notes on each video and screen captures for private reference.  Go Further Faster 1 Pin and Turtle Escapes screen capture with annotation Each day I share a few screen captures ...

Are you a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner? Have you heard of Beltchecker ? It's a free site that seeks to provide ways for BJJ practitioners to validate their own rank, and therefore the ranks of others. I had signed up a while ago, but had not taken the steps to verify my profile. The main steps involved uploading a profile photo, uploading a photo of me with my name and Beltchecker ID number (Reddit AMA-style), and verifying my name. I chose to do the latter by donating $2 to the project, rather than uploading copies of documents. Those steps verified me as a user, but I also needed to verify my rank. Each rank requires "votes" from existing registered users. For blue belt, I needed 200 points.  Registered users can vote to endorse my rank. The number of votes they can provide is based on their own rank. For example, a black belt can offer 100 votes.  I decided I would try contacting Jeff Shaw from Bellingham BJJ , as I had attended his great online history of BJJ sessions. I a...

I have good news. In my 2019 Martial Arts Year in Review post, I mentioned that I had a goal to attend roughly "17 classes per month, which is 204 classes per year." I marked the achievement of my BJJ blue belt in late October as the start of tracking this goal. In general, my goal is to attend at least 50 classes every 3 months, as a minimum. I'm happy to report that as of today I have met that first 50 class block. I plan to attend a few more classes this week, prior to the end of January, so long as my health holds up. (I've been having some issues with my left knee recently that caused me to miss two classes in January already.) I'm sharing this with the world as a way to motivate myself and anyone else who might have similar goals. This 50 classes every 3 months goal is about double the previous class attendance schedule I had prior to blue belt. I was not sure how my body was going to hold up, but I decided to set the goal and see what I could do. It took ...

It's been a while since I blogged, incidentally about returning to Jiu-Jitsu  in January, but I have good news -- today I passed the test for my blue belt. I began studying at Professor Pedro Sauer's headquarters school in January 2017. I began mostly with the Gracie Combatives system, then switched to the Pedro Sauer fundamentals classes by the end of the year. In May of 2018 I essentially stopped training BJJ to focus on my Krav Maga studies, finishing with my G1 grading in December 2018 . With G1 accomplished, I switched attention back to BJJ and resumed training in January 2019. Not all BJJ schools require testing to advance in rank. Prof Pedro Sauer believes that tests are an opportunity to demonstrate required skills. The core of the blue belt test is a set of over 80 techniques that must be successfully demonstrated on your training partner, one after the other as the instructor calls them out. The test also includes positioning rolling (i.e., start with your partner in ...

Last night I returned to Jiu-Jitsu training at One Spirit Martial Arts , the HQ for Professor Pedro Sauer's association. I had suspended my membership in August last year in order to concentrate on my KMG G1 grading . It was very good to be welcomed back to OSMA. Several of my old training partners and instructors were there, and it was good to catch up with them. We started the class with some functional movement drills. We started in cross-mount, then moved to mount, then moved to cross-mount on the other side. We then moved to the opposite side in a reverse motion. The goal was to be as technically correct as possible and capture all the details that make life difficult for the person on the bottom. For techniques, we worked a standing self-defense move against a thumbs-down grip, transitioning to a standing arm bar. On the ground, we worked on the arm bar from the guard. My partner was a blue belt who helped me with the movement mechanics for transitioning from the guard to a p...

2018 was my third full year practicing martial arts, since my  return in January 2016 . About a year ago I posted my  2017 Martial Arts Year in Review , reporting some statistics on my training and how I spent that time. Krav Maga In 2018 I began my third year of training at First Defense Krav Maga in Herndon, VA. I started the year as a P4. Prior to my P5 test in March, I participated in 29 formal Krav Maga classes. (I had trained 58 hours since my P4 test.) Between my P5 test and my G1 test in December, I participated in 91 Krav Maga classes. After my G1 test and through the end of December, I participated in 3 Krav Maga classes. That is a total of roughly 123 hours of regular Krav Maga classes, down from 130 in 2017 and 144 in 2016. In addition to regular classes, in July I attended a seminar with Master Eyal Yanilov on countering active shooters. That is a total of roughly 3 hours of special events, down from 93 in 2017 and 73 in 2016. Combined with my formal classes, I sp...

Today I attended a Jiu-Jitsu seminar by Professor Ryron Gracie, hosted by Professor Marco Moreno of The Basics Gracie Jiu-Jitsu . I want to share a few thoughts on the seminar for anyone who wants to attend one in the future. I always enjoy visiting Marco's school. I was last there in February for a seminar by Grandmaster Relson Gracie . Today I was happy to see several of my teammates from Professor Pedro Sauer's school in Herndon . Ryron offered three sessions for attendees. The first lasted 9-11 am, and focused on self defense. The second last noon - 2 pm and focused on cross chokes. Students who attended both sessions could attend a third session from 2-3 pm, where Ryron would roll with attendees. I decided to only attend the first session, which cost $70. I believe about 40 people participated. Ryron brought one of his purple belts, Jordan, to assist, although Ryron demonstrated techniques with a wide variety of people. I was surprised early in the seminar when he called m...

Thursday I attended a Jiu-Jitsu seminar by Grandmaster Relson Gracie, hosted by Professor Marco Moreno of The Basics Gracie Jiu-Jitsu . I want to share a few thoughts on the seminar for anyone who wants to attend one in the future. Marco runs a great academy. It isn't huge but he has what appears to the plush green Gracie mats installed. I trained there once before, when Marco hosted a Rener Gracie seminar. Everyone was friendly and approachable. The cost was a bit higher than other seminars I've attended recently. It was $100 for two hours. I figured it was worth it to spend some time with a Jiu-Jitsu red belt who lives in Hawaii. I only had to drive about an hour to participate, which is cheaper and easier than a flight across the country and the Pacific! Relson taught a kid's class before my seminar. I did not see the class but I saw him interacting with the kids afterwards. It is clear he loves teaching Jiu-Jitsu and interacting with young people. We had about 50 attend...

This post is mainly for those with access to  pedrosauertsd.com . If you're a student at a school that is an affiliate of Professor Pedro Sauer's association , you may also have access. I don't know how it works with affiliate schools, so I apologize if this post is for a very narrow audience! By chance I heard Prof Mike Horihan mention that he had loaded new fundamentals videos into the pedrosauertsd.com site. I remembered seeing Professor Sauer and Prof Jeff Curran posting to Instagram about recording these videos. Professor Sauer said one night in class that about 20 years had passed since he and Jeff had recorded the original fundamentals instructionals! I wanted to offer a few comments on what I found in the new videos. First, the easiest way to access the new videos is to select the "Fundamentals" check box in the "Programs" part of the web site, as shown in the first screen capture. Uncheck "Video Pool," "White to Blue," and ...

Saturday I attended a Jiu-Jitsu seminar by Rigan Machado, hosted by Patrick Tray of Trident Martial Arts . I want to share a few thoughts on the seminar for anyone who wants to attend one in the future. The location was top notch. Trident is in Woodbridge, VA, and features two huge training areas. They are meticulous about mat hygiene. I've trained at Mr. Tray's school before, about 1 1/2 years ago for a great series on ground, striking, and weapons scenarios. The cost was very reasonable -- $79 for early registration and three hours. Saturday was a gi session and Sunday was a no-gi session. I could only attend Saturday. If I had paid at the door, it would have cost me $99. If I had registered early for both sessions, the cost would have been $149. In addition to Master Rigan, Master Marcos Santos from Texas  was present and helped teach material. Mr Tray and several of his black belts (like Mikey Custodio) participated and helped teach. Ben Gilbert, who is a full instructor f...

I had a chance to apply Jiu-Jitsu in a striking class recently, and I wanted to share the results with you! One year ago this week I started practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Prof Pedro Sauer's school in Herndon, VA. Right away I started with the Gracie Combatives program, and mid-year I began regularly attending the Pedro Sauer fundamentals curriculum classes. Two years ago this month I began practicing Krav Maga at Nick Masi's school in Herndon, VA. Last week ground combat was the focus of the classes. I participated in the Thursday night "fight" class, which is several notches above the intensity of the Wednesday sparring class. Once in a while we go to the ground in a Krav session, but we tend to avoid extended ground contact or pressure. I had only done this sort of dedicated ground striking session once before, and that was in 2016 before I started Jiu-Jitsu. I did not perform very well. I'm 46, 5'9, and less than 145 lbs. If I have to depend on speed,...

Since starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu last year at Professor Pedro Sauer's school , I've had to regularly do forward and backward shoulder rolls. Both are part of the KMG curriculum we follow at my Krav Maga school , but we don't practice as often. I've been trying to improve my backward rolls because they are part of the regular Jiu-Jitsu warmup drills. The instructors and many students can do them slowly, without building momentum. This was my goal, to smoothly roll backward over either shoulder. Recently I watched a video by Stephan Kesting titled 3 Most Common Backwards Shoulder Roll Mistakes . I paid close attention to his technique and took a series of screen captures. Something clicked when I watched him roll backwards towards the camera. The breakthrough for me was watching how Stephan twists his whole upper body off the centerline , and then swings his legs along the centerline . For whatever reason, that clicked with me. I tried focusing on those two elements an...

A year ago I started learning Jiu-Jitsu at Professor Pedro Sauer's school, One Spirit Martial Arts , in Herndon, VA. I don't take the quality of instruction for granted. Having access to so many talented instructors is a blessing. It's particularly special when I can attend a class taught by Prof Sauer himself. I find myself in a catch-22 situation when Professor teaches. If I'm on the mat, I can try the techniques and concepts he is teaching that night, but I can't really record what he's sharing. If I'm off the mats, usually staying for a few extra minutes before heading home, I can record what he says. However, I'm not in the class, so I don't get to try the lesson. Thanks to a new set of video instructionals, I have found a way to have recorded access to Professor's wisdom and concepts. Last month Jiu-Jitsu TV began offering a set of 81 video lessons from Professor's 2017 seminar series in Australia and Singapore . I decided to take advan...

2017 was my second full year practicing martial arts, since my return in January 2016 . About a year ago I posted my 2016 Martial Arts Year in Review , reporting some statistics on my training and how I spent that time. Because I have no official training scheduled today or Sunday, it's time for me to analyze how I practiced in 2017. For comparison's sake, in 2016 I spent approximately 300 hours in formal training. About two thirds involved Krav Maga. Less than one sixth involved other martial arts, such as Kali, combatives (including my first serious ground work), and Kung Fu. The remainder involved fitness (Jungshin and Ground Force Method) and firearms. Krav Maga In 2017 I began my second year of training at First Defense Krav Maga in Herndon, VA. I started the year as a P-2. Prior to my P-3 test in March, I participated in 50 formal Krav Maga classes. (I had trained 94 hours since my P-2 test.) Between my P-3 test and my P-4 test in September, I participated in 50 Krav Maga...

On Wednesday night I logged my 100th hour of training at One Spirit Martial Arts , the home academy of Prof Pedro Sauer. We sign into a computer every time we visit the school, so I have a record of my "official" training time there. My trial class happened Monday January 30th, and my first official class happened January 31st, 2017. At the time of writing, I have a little over 10 months of time at the school. As of Wednesday, I spent 52 hours in Gracie Combatives, 34 hours in Pedro Sauer Fundamentals, 11 hours in open rank classes, and 1 hour each in a Gracie Reflex Development class, a morning open rank class, and an evening "lab" class. In terms of actual training time, I've spent more than 100 hours doing Jiu-Jitsu in 2017 -- but not much more.  My trial class was an hour. In March I spent two hours with Rener Gracie at his seminar in Leesburg, VA. May was busy: I spent two more hours with Rener at his seminar in Baltimore, MD, two hours with Royce Gracie in...

Last week Professor Sauer taught the mixed level Jiu-Jitsu class Monday night at his school in Herndon, VA. I took the Fundamentals class at 6 pm and decided to stay for Professor's session. We spent time addressing a position Professor had been asked about during his recent seminar tour. The position isn't that important for this post, but it involved escaping a foe on your back. He has hooks in, ready to apply a rear naked choke. To make matters worse the opponent traps one of your arms, using his leg. We practiced escaping when the opponent traps your right arm. Professor showed how to escape the situation. Basically, fall to your left side to avoid getting your right arm caught under your opponent. Use your right leg against his right arm to help free your trapped arm. Finish with a variation of the normal curriculum escape to eventually achieve side control or mount. The end of the instruction had the most impact on me, however. As he has done many times during class, Prof...

Last weekend I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to attend Jiu-Jitsu seminars on Saturday and Sunday. The instructor was Henry Akins , a Rickson Gracie black belt known for his concept of hidden Jiu-Jitsu . Ryan Ford, host of the Grappling Central podcast , organized the event. Day one lasted for three hours and covered passing the guard. Henry assumed that an opponent in closed guard has already had his guard opened. We started with one person on the ground and the guard passer standing up. The goal of guard passing is to close distance with the opponent and eventually make chest-to-chest contact. Henry built his guard passing approach on something Rickson told him: "Guard passing is weight distribution and angles." It took Henry a long time to figure out exactly what Rickson meant, and he ended up in a lot of people's closed guards trying to practice this approach. However, having experienced Henry's method, I believe it makes a lot of sense. When an opponent uses his le...